News brief

South Korea has a new president. The election of Lee Jae-myung on June 4 closed one of the most turbulent chapters in the nation’s young democracy. Mr. Lee rose from childhood poverty to become South Korea’s leading liberal politician vowing to fight inequality and corruption. He succeeds Yoon Suk Yeol, a conservative who was felled over his stunning yet brief imposition of martial law in December. As a former child laborer known for his inspirational rags-to-riches story, Mr. Lee came to fame through criticism of the country’s conservative establishment and calls to build a more assertive South Korea in foreign policy.

Women helped oust South Korea’s president. Now they feel erased by elections.

The Monitor's View: Why Japan, South Korea inch closer